Women's Asia Cup 2024: Key contests, the return of Nepal, and everything else

Let's start with the most obvious question: when and where will it be held?
The tournament is being staged from July 19 to 28 and all the matches will be held in Dambulla in Sri Lanka. There will be a total of 15 matches: 12 group games, two semi-finals and a final. The group-stage games will be held from July 19 to 24, with two games every day. The two semi-finals will be held on July 26 with the final on July 28.

Nice. You said eight teams - any changes in the format from 2022?
Yes, the biggest change is that the tournament this year will have eight teams, one more than the previous edition. As a result, unlike last time when all the teams played each other once before the semi-final, this time the teams have been split into two groups.

Group A has India, Nepal, Pakistan and UAE, while hosts Sri Lanka are with Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand in Group B. Each team in the group will play each other once with the top two qualifying for the semi-finals. It was only in 2022 that the tournament was expanded to seven teams, and this year one more team has been added.

Wow, Nepal! Is this their first time in the tournament?
Not really, but it is their first time since 2016. They qualified by virtue of being semi-finalists at the Women's Premier Cup 2024, which was held in February this year. UAE, Malaysia and Thailand were the other three teams to qualify from that event.

A total of 16 teams took part in the Premier Cup. Of them, Nepal, UAE, Malaysia and Thailand made it to the semi-finals. While Thailand fell short against UAE in the semis by four runs, Malaysia defeated Nepal by four wickets in the other semi-final to make it to the final. UAE then beat Malaysia by 37 runs to win the Premier Cup. But all four of those teams made the cut for the Asia Cup.

Is there an India vs Pakistan game? Who are playing the first match?
Of course there is - how can there not be one? At least one? It will be the most followed contest for sure, though there is a big gulf between the two sides - it's 11-3 to India in the format. That said, Pakistan beat India by 13 runs last time. This time, India vs Pakistan is on the opening day itself, on July 19. Nepal and UAE will kickstart the tournament in the afternoon game before India and Pakistan play in the evening. Sri Lanka will start their tournament in an evening game on July 20 against Bangladesh and that should be a close contest too.

If you're looking for needle, or hoping for some, Bangladesh vs India might be the one to look out for. It was a no-contest when India toured earlier this year, when they swept a five-T20I series, but go back to last year, and it was much closer, and ended in controversy. India won the T20I series 2-1, but the ODI series ended 1-1, with the decider ending in a tie. After a dramatic finish, Harmanpreet lambasted the umpiring, and Sultana criticised Harmanpreet for her "manners".

Who are the captains? Any big changes from last time?
There are not a lot of changes, actually. India are still led by Harmanpreet Kaur, Sri Lanka by Chamari Athapaththu, Bangladesh by Nigar Sultana, and Malaysia by Winifred Duraisingam. But there are changes. With Bismah Maroof having retired, Nida Dar will captain Pakistan. For Thailand, regular captain Naruemol Chaiwai, the captain in the 2022 tournament, is out with an injury, so 20-year-old Thipatcha Putthawong is standing in. UAE will be captained by 26-year-old batter Esha Oza.

Which teams start as favourites?
It is tough to look beyond India, the premier side in the region. They are the defending champions and have lifted the trophy the most times: seven. The only other team to have won the trophy - ever - are Bangladesh, back in 2018, and they might be the toughest opponents for India this time too.

Sri Lanka have shown decent T20I form in the last year or so and can give the other teams a run for their money, especially if Athapaththu can continue her incredible run of form.

Remind me, how did the 2022 edition go?
India breezed through to add another Asia Cup title to their already stuffed cabinet. They started with a 41-run victory against Sri Lanka and then registered comfortable wins against Malaysia and UAE. The only blemish came against Pakistan, but with five wins in six games - and a superior NRR - they qualified for the semi-finals by topping the points table. There they beat Thailand by 74 runs before beating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final.

Anything else to look out for?
The tournament, like last year, will feature an all-female team of match officials. In addition, SLC has also announced that the entry for fans will be free.

That aside, the only women's event starting around that time is the Hundred, which begins on July 23. Smriti Mandhana (Southern Brave), Richa Ghosh (Birmingham Phoenix) and Athapaththu (Oval Invincibles) are the only ones from the Asia Cup who are also part of the Hundred. But they are likely to leave only after the Asia Cup is done.

The tournament will be broadcast on the following channels/streams in different regions:
India: Star Sports & Disney+ Hotstar
Nepal & Bhutan - Star Sports
Bangladesh - Gazi & T Sports
Sri Lanka - Supreme TV
Rest of the World - ACC YouTube channel